The present invention relates generally to fuel dispensers, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for converting legacy pump and Customer Access Terminal (CAT) protocols to high speed Ethernet protocols.
The retail petroleum industry utilizes various brands of fuel dispensers for dispensing fuel to customers. Different manufacturers including Dresser Wayne, Gilbarco, Tokheim, and others manufacture the dispensers. Some form of remote dispenser controller is typically used for controlling the dispensers. The remote dispenser controller is often located in a manner where a site attendant can monitor and control particular dispensers from a building at the site. The controller sends data signals (i.e., commands) to the dispensers which can include price to charge for the fuel dispensed, preset amounts of fuel to dispense, and pump authorization to dispense fuel. The dispensers likewise send data signals (i.e., responses) to the controller including pump number, pump status, and dispensed fuel volume and value.
Point-of-sale (POS) systems are widely used in the industry to control fuel dispensers, replacing older methods of dispenser control through a console, which is a separate device from a cash register. POS systems generally utilize an open architectural hardware platform which includes a personal computer (PC) with POS application software programming to integrate functions including cash register, dispenser control, credit card processing, and scanning.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,326, issued Dec. 2, 1997, a fuel pump-card reader control center is disclosed. The fuel pump-card reader control center is used for controlling the fueling process and accepting payment of the dispensed fuel through a computer/cash register system. The control center is also for controlling dispensers with card readers/cash acceptors that are manufactured by different manufacturers. The control center operates like a peripheral device to the computer/cash register with an external version having serial connection and an internal version having bus connection. More particularly, the control center of the ""326 patent controls the flow of data between different brand fuel dispensers and the computer/cash register having the same application software program. The control center is limited in its ability for use as a retrofit of older generation (legacy) point-of-sale (POS) transaction systems. In particular, the control center is limited with regard to an increased functionality of newer generation fuel dispensers.
Dispenser manufacturers generally have a proprietary communication protocol for communicating between a respective dispenser and a site controller (site forecourt controller). Certain dispenser manufacturers utilize current loop communications, while others utilize voltage level communication, and a combination thereof. Prior known fuel dispenser interface devices include a pump interface board (PIB), such as is manufactured by Wayne Division, Dresser Equipment Group, Inc. of Austin, Tex. Other devices known in the art include a PAM by Gilbarco and a SAM by Tokheim.
The existing pump interface devices provide a high level interface between a site forecourt controller and a dispenser. In a such a high level interface, many of the communication details needed to correctly configure and operate a fuel dispenser are hidden from the site forecourt controller device. The site forecourt controller is presented with a superset of dispenser commands that simplify the dispenser operation. For example, with the PIB by Dresser Wayne, approximately thirty-eight (38) commands are available to the site forecourt controller to interact with the pump section of the fuel dispensers. These commands include reading/writing prices per grade of fuel, read dispenser sale values, start a dispenser, stop a dispenser, etc.
In older generation (legacy) fuel dispenser interfaces, there are command set conversions and protocol conversions occurring with only limited speed conversions. Sometimes these conversions relate only to the pump interface, sometimes to the customer access terminal (CAT), and sometimes both. The older generation fuel dispenser interface products typically provide a 1200 to 9600 baud interface to the site forecourt controller and a 9600 baud interface to a respective dispenser.
With the advances in technology, newer generation fuel dispenser models often have some form of advanced customer access terminal (CAT). A CAT includes one or more of the following devices consisting of card readers, bill acceptors, input keys for selecting the type of payment or fuel desired, a display for prompting the customer, and a printer for printing a receipt of fuel dispensed. Card readers facilitate reading credit, debit, or other types of payment cards. Bill acceptors are used in accepting dollar bills for the fuel to be dispensed. The newer generation fuel dispensers accordingly include increased functionality over older generation fuel dispensers.
What is needed, therefore, is a method and apparatus for enabling a fueling retail site to upgrade to newer generation fueling dispensers having increased functionality without requiring a change-out of a legacy POS system.
According to one embodiment, a retail petroleum station site architecture includes at least one point-of-sale (POS) controller, the POS controller providing at least one of the following functions selected from the group consisting of cash register, dispenser control, transaction card processing, and bar code scanning of stocked articles. The site architecture further includes at least one new generation fuel dispenser having a customer access terminal (CAT) and a dispenser control unit. The new generation fuel dispenser has at least one feature which is unsupported by the POS controller, wherein the unsupported feature includes at least one of either a customer access terminal control function or a dispenser control function of the new generation fuel dispenser. Lastly, the site architecture includes a site forecourt controller coupled between the POS controller and the new generation fuel dispenser. The site forecourt controller includes means for interfacing the POS controller with the new generation fuel dispenser. The interfacing means provides a protocol and electrical signal interface between a first protocol and electrical signal requirement of the POS controller and a second protocol and electrical signal requirement of the new generation fuel dispenser.
A principal advantage of this embodiment is that existing and newly constructed gasoline stations can render installation of new generation fuel dispensers having high speed interfaces. The present embodiments provide a mechanism for backward compatibility, facilitating introduction of new generation fuel dispensers into an existing fueling station without requiring a change-out of a legacy POS site controller system. Advanced features and functions provided by new generation fuel dispensers can immediately be incorporated into the operation of a pre-existing fueling station.